


Dawning Light

by islandgirl



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Drabble, Episode Tag, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-21
Updated: 2012-02-21
Packaged: 2017-10-31 13:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/344478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/islandgirl/pseuds/islandgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's not sure how he didn't notice it before, but now that it's brought to his attention, Danny can't put it out of his mind. -- mild spoilers for 2.10 - 2.17</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dawning Light

**Title:** Dawning Light  
 **Fandom:** Hawaii Five-0  
 **Characters:** Danny; Steve  
 **Prompt:** light for dailyfics  
 **Word Count:** 330  
 **Warning:** mild spoilers for 2.10 to 2.17  
 **Disclaimer:** All Hawaii Five-0 characters herein are the property of CBS. No copyright infringement is intended.  
 **Summary:** He’s not sure how he didn’t notice it before, but now that it’s brought to his attention, Danny can’t put it out of his mind.

*****

He’s not sure how he didn’t notice it before, but now that it’s brought to his attention, Danny can’t put it out of his mind. Even in the pink, dawning light of morning, Steve looks pale and tired. Worn to the bone. There are shadows under his eyes that speak of sleepless nights and deepening creases around his face that whisper of stress. His cheekbones are sharper; his hands thinner when he grips the steering wheel.

Danny opens his mouth a hundred times during the car ride, but isn’t sure how to start that conversation without it sounding like an accusation. So he decides to watch and observe. Maybe Steve just had a rough night? Even as he thinks it, Danny knows that’s not the truth. Steve has been steadily declining since North Korea, but they’d all refused to acknowledge it. They put their blinders on when it came to Steve. Steve said he was fine so they believed him. It was the easier, safer option when they were all still in pieces themselves.

What he see though, it’s doesn’t reassure Danny at all. Steve’s antics have dropped from severely insane to mildly disturbing. His laughs are always a beat slower than everyone else’s and his smiles are slower, not quite reaching his eyes. Even their bickering doesn’t have the same energy it used to, Steve’s barb half-hearted and weak at best where they used to be sharp and witty. It’s painful to witness, and the closer he looks, the more he sees and wonders why the hell they hadn’t picked up on it until now. 

As much as he wants to dwell on it though, Danny knows it doesn’t matter. What matters right now is opening Chin and Kono’s eyes to what’s been right under their noses and finding a way to fix it. Steve’s more than their leader, more than his partner. Steve is their family and everyone knows that Five-0 takes care of their ohana, not matter what.

*****

end. 


End file.
